Novr. 25th. 1760.

Rode to the Iron Works Landing to see a Vessell launched. And after Launching went
to smoke a Pipe, at Ben. Thayers, where the Rabble filled the House. Every Room, kitchen,
Chamber was crowded with People.1 Negroes with a fiddle. Young fellows and Girls dancing in the Chamber as if they
would kick the floor thro. Zab Hayward, not finding admittance to the Chamber, gathered
a Circle round him in the lower Room. There He began to shew his Tricks and Postures,
and Activity. He has had the Reputation, for at least fifteen Years, of the best Dancer
in the World in these Towns. Several attempted, but none could equal him, in nimbleness
of heels. But he has no Conception of the Grace, the Air nor the Regularity of dancing.
His Air is absurd and wild, desultory, and irregular, as his Countenance is low and
ignoble. In short the Air of his Countenance, the Motions of his Body, Hands, and
Head, are extreamly silly, and affected and mean.

When he first began, his Behaviour and Speeches were softly silly, but as his Blood
grew warm by motion and Liquor, he grew droll. He caught a Girl and danced a Gigg
with her, and then led her to one side of the Ring and said, “Stand there, I call
for you by and by.” This was spoke comically enough, and raised a loud laugh. He caught
another Girl, with light Hair, and a Patch on her Chin, and held her by the Hand while
he sung a song, describing her as he said. This tickled the Girls Vanity, for the
song which he applied to her described a very fine Girl indeed.

One of his witty droll sayings he thought, was this. I am a clever fellow, or else
the Devil is in me. That is a Clever Girl or else the Devil is in her. Wm. Swan is
such another Funmaking animal of diverting Tricks.

“I must confess I am an old Man, and as father Smith says hardly capable of doing
my Duty.” This raised a broad Laugh too.

Thus, in dancing, singing songs, drinking flip, running after one Girl, and married
Woman and another, and making these affected, humorous Speeches, he spent the whole
Afternoon.—And Zab and I were foolish enough to spend the whole afternoon in gazing
and listening.

Gurney danced, but was modest and said nothing. E. Turner danced not, but bawled aloud.—God
dam it, and dam it, and the Devil, &c.—And swore he’d go to Captn. Thayers, and be
merry and get as drunk as the Devil. He insisted upon it, drunk he would get. And
indeed, not 2 pence better than drunk he was.

Fiddling and dancing, in a Chamber full of young fellows and Girls, a wild Rable of
both sexes, and all Ages, in the lower Room, singing dancing, fiddling, drinking flip
and Toddy, and drams.—This is the Riot and Revelling of Taverns And of Thayers frolicks.

1. The “Iron Works Landing” and Benjamin Thayer’s tavern, on the Monatiquot River where
it flows into Fore River Bay, may be seen at the foot of JA’s sketch map of taverns in Braintree and Weymouth, reproduced in this volume. This entire entry
was omitted by CFA in editing JA’s Diary.